The Shattered Amulet
by Grayt
Summary: During the assassination of Emperor Uriel Septim VII, the Amulet of Kings is shattered during a swordfight. The man responsible for murdering the Emperor is corrupted by the ancient evil inside the Amulet, and has a deep, dark power lurking inside of him. To make matters worse, the Gates to Oblivion have opened, and Daedra roam the lands. Soon, Tamriel will be a battleground.


Emperor Uriel Septim VII was stood at the top of the White Gold Tower, overlooking the Imperial City, the seat of power in the Imperial Empire. He took a deep breath and looked down at his amulet, the Amulet of Kings, the sacred symbol of the Empire and of the Septim dynasty all the way from Saint. Alessia back when the Heartland High Elves ruled Tamriel. Emperor Uriel could hear the screams and clashes of steel below him as the assassins that wanted his life clashed with the Palace Guards and Uriel's secret order of bodyguards, The Blades. Emperor Uriel knew his life was coming to an end, he knew he was nothing more than a frail old man who could defend himself, and he had seen the outcome of this encounter in his dreams, but like most men, Emperor Uriel did not wish to die. He also knew that these assassins were not just after the death of the Emperor, they wanted the crown jewel of the Empire, the Amulet of Kings. He did not know why they needed his amulet, but the Amulet of Kings held the barriers between Mundus and Oblivion together, and without the Amulet, then the jaws of Oblivion would open and all monsters would roam the lands, seeking to destroy for their master, the demonic lord of whichever Oblivion plane these monsters spewed from. Whether it be Coldharbour or the Deadlands, Uriel Septim would not let that fate befall his land.

As he heard the trapdoor creak open, Uriel took another deep breath and took out his silver shortsword from it's sheath. He looked under his robes and saw his mithril chestplate, which gave him more courage than being alone would be. He swung his sword in a circular motion, before turning to the trapdoor and composing himself. To Uriel's surprise, one of his loyal Blades, a Redguard by the name of Baurus, climbed out from the madness, his armour and sword soaked in the blood of the assassins that were foolish enough to attack the fiercely loyal and battle-hardened Blade. He sheathed his sword as Uriel did the same and looked at his Emperor, before bowing his head and walking over to Uriel.

"Things aren't going well down there, Sire." Baurus said as he sat down by the edge of the tower, composing himself and letting out a deep sigh as he did.

"I've already seen many Blades fall to the mythical weapons these assassins possess, Glenroy and Captain Renault were apart of the casualties, I'm afraid."

Uriel looked down at his feet as he heard the names of Captain Renault and Glenroy. They had served Uriel as his personal bodyguards for quite a while, and he had grown to treat them like his own children. Uriel looked at Baurus, who had unsheathed his akaviri katana once again and was up on his feet, ready for action.

"Captain Renault and her allies will take their place among the halls of Cloud Ruler Temple, but for now, we must make sure there is someone to place their swords above the hearth." Uriel ordered, unsheathing his own blade and opening the trapdoor.

"Now, the Imperial Guards most probably will have arrived, we must make our way out of the city. To Chorrol we will go, Baurus, to Weynon Priory and the safe haven of Grandmaster Jauffre." Baurus simply nodded and went down the trapdoor, before heading down into the Imperial Palace, hoping to somehow find survivors of the slaughter or the reinforcements that the Imperial Guardsmen would have inevitably sent down after hearing the carnage.

As they walked through the halls of the Palace, Uriel saw the bodies of many loyal Blades and Imperial Guards, who had died defending their Emperor. It saddened Uriel as he saw the wounds these loyal men and women had sustained, and he knew that these assassins were not ones to be messed around with, and were more than capable of taking a life. As they reached the main entrance, Baurus and Uriel came across High Chancellor Ocato, leader of the Elder Council, and Adamus Phillida, the veteran Imperial Watchman and leader of the Imperial Watch in the Imperial City. Ocato and Phillida both looked worn and battered, and Ocato's robes were seared, whilst Phillida's armour was battered and soaked with blood. Both of them looked frightened and shaken, but were holding their nerves together in the hopes that everything would work out and the strength of the Imperial Empire would prevail through the crisis that was sustained. As Uriel looked both of them down, High Chancellor Ocato was the first out of the four to speak:

"Baurus, Emperor Uriel, thank goodness you're alright. Myself and Adamus feared the worst when we saw these assassins roaming the streets, and we hurried here." Uriel smiled at the two veteran servants of the Empire, before looking at Baurus, who was simply staring at the bodies of his fallen comrades, obviously haunted by his failure to save them.

"These assassins," Emperor Uriel said as he looked around.

"Their blades are not of Mundane make, these are the servants of some Daedric Lord. Chancellor, General, the jaws of Oblivion are breaking open once more, and these assassins wish it to be so. I must leave the Imperial City, but these assassins walk the streets in plain clothing, there will be a riot if I try and leave through the stables."

High Chancellor Ocato nodded and whispered to Adamus Phillida, who also nodded and they set off down the hallway, beckoning Emperor Uriel and Baurus to follow. The four servants of the Imperial Empire walked to the end of the corridor and stood at the door to the basement. They went to open the door, but Baurus stopped dead in his tracks. Slightly below the door handle was the withered remains of Glenroy, who had died defending the Emperor and the Elder Council. Baurus walked over to his fallen comrade and unstrapped his helmet, before closing his eyes and laying him peacefully to rest. Baurus recomposed himself and opened the door into the basement, and heading down with High Chancellor Ocato, Adamus Phillida and Emperor Uriel following. They came down into the basement, where a locked, wooden door was before them. Ocato walked towards it and pulled a set of golden keys out of his robe, before inserting one of them into the keyhole and smiling as he heard the lock click. He grabbed the handle and twisted it, before pulling it open and ushering everyone inside. He shut the door behind everyone and locked it once more, before muttering something and waving his hand over the wood, which glowed with a bright light. Ocato had placed some sort of magical barrier over the door, which wouldn't allow anyone who didn't know the phrase to enter.

The passageway brought all four members of the Imperial Council out into a large room, with different networks of passages leading to different parts of the Imperial underground. High Chancellor Ocato smiled and sprinted over to one of the gates, before unlocking the padlock with another key from the ring. He tried to push the gate open, but to his surprise, it stayed where it was. Ocato tried once more, to no avail, and stepped backwards. He turned to his companions, and sighed. "The gate is enchanted, they've trapped us." Ocato said, pulling a silver dagger from his robe. "This is our last stand, gentlemen." Adamus Phillida looked around and saw a side room with an open door, before pointing it out to his companions. "What about that side door, Chancellor? There might be a way out." he replied, swinging his longsword in a circular motion and readying his shield. The High Chancellor thought for a moment, before nodding. Without further thought, all four ushered themselves into the room. Ocato saw the loose paneling on the wall, and pushed one of the bricks. It fell down and hit the floor with a thud, causing the fake wall to retract and reveal a secret room. Suddenly, a man appeared out of the shadows and cast some sort of paralysis spell on Ocato and Phillida, completely freezing them in suspended animation. Baurus looked and saw the assassin, but was caught in the side of the head by a roundhouse kick and knocked to the floor. Emperor Uriel drew his blade and blocked a strike from the assassin's longsword, but groaned as the assassin stabbed him with the dagger in his other hand.

Emperor Uriel's long life flashed before his eyes. He saw his childhood, his coronation, his rule, and his death. He had ruled the Imperial Empire for 65 long years, and had seen many different things throughout that reign. And now, here he was, trapped in the network of passages underneath the Imperial City, fleeing the assassins that wanted his life, the same assassins that had murdered his three sons, Geldall, Enman and Ebel. Time seemed to slow down as the blade of the assassin pierced Uriel's robe and easily ripped through his flesh, creating a sharp, burning pain in the Emperor's abdomen. He looked around the room and saw his faithful companions, the Blade bodyguard Baurus, the High Chancellor of the Elder Council, Ocato of Firsthold, and the General of the Imperial Guardsmen, Adamus Phillida. Uriel let out a last breath and smiled, before looking down at the Amulet of Kings, the sacred symbol of the Empire, and watching as the flame inside of it died down. He looked at the assassin, his murderer, and fell backwards. The assassin smiled as he watched Uriel's lifeless body crash down to the floor as Baurus cried out in sorrow.

The assassin ripped the Amulet of Kings from around the neck of Emperor Uriel and smiled at his trophy, before heading over to Baurus. He muttered something and felt his helmet retract, revealing a young Altmer with golden skin. Without chance of regret, he drew his longsword and motioning to stab the Blade. As the sword came down, the assassin's face turned from a smile to a shock of anger, as Baurus rolled onto his back and pushed the assassin away with his feet. Baurus looked around and saw his katana lying near the doorway, and dove for it as the assassin clambered back up to his feet. Baurus stumbled to his feet, a tight grasp on his katana, and swung at the assassin. The assassin stumbled backwards and out into the secret passageway into the sewers. Baurus grabbed his shield and chased after the assassin, who was making his way to the exit. Baurus saw the assassin climbing down into the sewers, and jumped down the tunnel, kicking the assassin with both feet. Both men collapsed onto the grating below, completely missing the stone landing. The assassin stumbled to his feet first and kicked Baurus in the side of the head.

"Puny Redguard!" The Altmer said, pulling the Amulet of Kings out of his armour.

He muttered something and rose his hand into the air. It swirled with yellow light and his armour disappeared, revealing crimson robes.

"I am Larenthal Highlock! A Member of the Mythic Dawn and loyal servant of Mankar Camoran! You are nothing compared to me! Just like your pathetic High Chancellor, a traitor to his kind, your weak Captain of the Guard, who should have retired years ago, and your fragile Emperor, who should be wallowing in the pits of hell, not resting in Atherius!" Highlock yelled at the Blade, who was just about stumbling to his feet.

Baurus had heard enough. Using a last burst of strength, he lunged at Larenthal, who was too busy in his speech to see the sword. At the last moment, Larenthal covered his face, and the katana's blade hit the jewel in the middle of the Amulet of Kings. The red glass shattered and a bright light consumed the room. Larenthal shielded his eyes as he noticed something fly out of the amulet. It was black, and looked like it was made of pure darkness. It flew straight towards Larenthal as he tried to move out of the way, and hit him directly in the forehead. Larenthal screamed as it sank into his skin. He dropped to the floor and shuddered and writhed. Baurus watched as the Dragon's blood dripped into the water below the grating, turning the water red. Larenthal slumped down against the stained wall, letting out a sigh. His veins had turned black. As Baurus thought he was dead, Larenthal suddenly turned to Baurus and shot a spell at him, which looked like pure darkness, and knocked the Blade against the wall, his head hitting the stained stone hard. Larenthal shivered as he hands slumped to his sides, and he stumbled out of the door. He flew over the flowing water and headed for the exit as Baurus writhed around on the floor, clutching his head.

The barriers between Mundus and Oblivion had been broken, the Gates were starting to appear, and now a terrible evil inside the Amulet of Kings has been unleashed.


End file.
